Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 8.000-9.000 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 6.650. The company issued revenue guidance of $245.0 million-$285.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $264.1 million.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of LGND stock opened at $188.17 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $191.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.09. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.66 and a beta of 0.99. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $93.58 and a 1 year high of $212.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a current ratio of 24.69.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $1.13. The company had revenue of $86.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.71 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 5.71%. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 123.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LGND has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Benchmark raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $185.00 to $234.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.43.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Jason Aryeh sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $1,708,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 69,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,835,254.09. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.84, for a total value of $91,457.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 44,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,640,656.64. This represents a 1.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 11,401 shares of company stock worth $1,972,576 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LGND. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 64.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 378,295 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $67,011,000 after purchasing an additional 148,437 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $21,498,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2,096.5% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 125,769 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $22,279,000 after acquiring an additional 120,043 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 234.2% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 111,986 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $19,837,000 after purchasing an additional 78,476 shares during the period. Finally, Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $11,457,000. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.